IMO 1969 · Problem 1

Prove that there are infinitely many natural numbers \(a\) with the following property: the number \(z = n^4 + a\) is not prime for any natural number \(n\).

Official text of the problem. Official problem paper (PDF)

Solution

For each integer \(m\ge 2\), choose \(a=4m^4\). For every natural number \(n\), we have \[ \begin{aligned} n^4+a &=n^4+4m^4\\ &=(n^2+2m^2)^2-(2mn)^2\\ &=(n^2-2mn+2m^2)(n^2+2mn+2m^2)\\ &=\bigl((n-m)^2+m^2\bigr)\bigl((n+m)^2+m^2\bigr). \end{aligned} \] Both factors are integers at least \(m^2\ge4\), so \(n^4+a\) is composite. This also covers \(n=0\), if zero is included among the natural numbers.

The values \(4m^4\) strictly increase as \(m\) ranges over the integers \(m\ge2\). Thus infinitely many natural numbers \(a\) have the required property.

The solution was checked against John Scholes' IMO solution archive (Kalva).